


Strawberry Milk

by Fidgegunkhause



Series: Old Fics [2]
Category: Rooster Teeth/Achievement Hunter/Funhaus RPF
Genre: M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-03-31
Updated: 2016-03-31
Packaged: 2018-05-30 06:21:44
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,408
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6412489
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Fidgegunkhause/pseuds/Fidgegunkhause
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Ray may or may not be freaking out about introducing his grandmother to his totally male, forty plus boyfriend.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Strawberry Milk

**Author's Note:**

> This is an old fic I did back during Christmas 2013. Reposting all my work here. Just a cute little one shot!

“You’re nervous,” Joel said in an almost murmur.

“Of course I’m nervous,” Ray said without glancing at him.

“You shouldn’t be.” Joel followed behind him, practically on top of his heels, and Ray had to focus on not letting him step on the back of his shoes. “It’s not like she can disown you.”

“Yeah, but still. I love my grandma, and she’s pretty religious and there are all those horror stories out there about families being torn apart because someone came out as gay or bi. I don’t want that to be us, especially since my parents are actually okay with this. It doesn’t help that you’re almost twice my age,” Ray said, easily maneuvering through the foot traffic he dealt with his whole life.

The streets were busy with New York pedestrians, making the walk to his grandmother’s apartment complex take that much longer. It gave him the time to work himself over the entire idea of introducing his Nana to his boyfriend. He had never talked to her about homosexuality or age differences before and couldn’t help but wonder what she’d think of Joel. And whenever he wondered, he had the tendency to assume (a trait that had got him in trouble quite often though the lesson of “it makes an ass out of u and me” never stuck) and his assumptions were actually pretty horrifying.

He sensed Joel’s hand before he ever felt it, sliding along his hip and slipping into the confines of his hoodie pocket and fighting to wrap their hands together. Ray refused to let his hand be taken out of the warm pocket, though he did squeeze back and twist their fingers together.

“Ray, it’s gonna be fine. It’s gonna be okay,” Joel said, smile tugging at his lips and a gentle light in his eyes.

Of course Joel would be calm about this. Joel’s grandparents had passed away and his parents didn’t give a rat’s ass, as long as he settled down with someone or had some semblance of a long term relationship. His parents did have slight worry over the large age difference, but never harped at either of them or gave anyone grief for it.

It had been Joel’s parents who had calmed down Ray’s own when they first found out just a month ago. It was easy to say that the Narvaezes weren’t conservative by any means. They had open minds and hearts. However, it was simply assumed in unspoken conversation that Ray was straight. Though, the homosexual part didn’t freak them out half as bad as the “I’m 24 and he’s 42, haha we’re inverses, see” part did. They did, quite frankly, grasp and cope with the idea easier than Ray had, though.

Ray had his lip between his own teeth and looked up at the apartment his grandma lived in. “I hope so,” he whispered.

He needed his grandmother to accept him and Joel. She took care of him, borderline babied in the only way that was okay. She sent gifts to the office and constantly asked if he was enjoying himself and about the latest gaming news, even if she didn’t understand much of it. She cried when he left and told him that she understood but he “better come home at least every weekend to make up for leaving.” His grandmother supported him in every way that she could. She made sure he had everything he needed to be happy and Ray couldn’t imagine her leaving his life because he refused to give up Joel.

When he knocked on the door, his mother opened the door, smile already on her face. “Ray! Joel! Come on in, boys,” she said, opening the door.

Ray hung up his coat, a grin on his face even if it was only at 50% of it’s confidence. “Where’s Nana?” he whispered to his mother.

“In the kitchen, making you some strawberry milk,” she responded, hand brushing along the small of his back as a guide because he was still her child.

He poked his head into the tiny kitchen she had and smiled brightly at her. “Hey, Nan,” he said.

His grandmother turned from the boiling pot of strawberries and smiled at him widely. “There’s my honey!” she said, opening her arms, drying towel gripped tight in one of her hands.

Ray accepted her hug easily, being sure to be gentle even though she gripped him hard. He had to stoop a little and was slapped him in the face with the wave of nostalgia he got every visit because of the simple actions. Memories every past visit and his high school year came back in a flash and settled over him like a warm fog.

“Ah, and who’s this?” she asked, gentle smile still on her face as she pulled back from the hug. She balled up her towel, set it to the side, and wiped her hands dry on her smock. “You didn’t tell me you were bring someone from the office!”

“Hello, Mrs Narvaez,” Joel said, smiling in pure politeness and nodding slightly at her.

“Ah, let me guess! Geoff, is it?” she asked, putting her hand out to shake with Joel.

The warm cloud of nostalgia was quickly blown when he remembered that he was actually in the kitchen with his older boyfriend, about to introduce him as such to his Nana. Ray looked stricken, face paling and eyes widening in the very slightest as he realized that the time to actually tell his grandmother was now. He could hear his heartbeat pounding in his ears and almost cursed for the sudden epiphany.

Ah, what do I say? ‘Oh Nana, this is actually my very adorable boyfriend-’

No. Um, ‘I want to introduce you to my boyfriend-’

‘Joel is my partner for the last-’

‘We’ve been going on casual dates for like 8 months and I thought you’d like to meet him or-’

“Uh, no, sorry, I’m Joel Heyman, I work in the-”

“He’s my boyfriend,” Ray blurted out, immediately wincing afterwards. Elegance would forever be an acquaintance of his, never friend.

His grandmother looked surprised, though it was probably because Ray had borderline shouted, and, wow, even his dad had muted the Steelers game in the living room.

“Ah,” Nana said, hands clasped together. It was quiet for several seconds, though Ray swore it felt like years of tense imprisonment. “Well, alright sweetie? Should I get two glasses of milk…?”

And because she wasn’t screaming or quoting the Bible or asking Joel his age or giving them disgusted looks, Ray couldn’t help the need to just hug her or the tears that were totally not in the corners of his eyes. His chest swelled with some sort of emotion-tainted air that he couldn’t identify and he felt light headed in the way he normally associated with too much laughter. He surged forward and wrapped his arms around her, lifting her up slightly in what was most definitely too tight of a hug.

“Ray, you’re going to hurt her,” Joel said hurriedly, one hand in the middle of his back and the other on her shoulder.

Nana laughed, patting Ray on the back. “Honey, it’s okay. Did you really think some dumb boy was going to tear this family apart?”

Ray sniffed and said in a shaky voice, “No.”

The pot was about to boil and both Ray and Nana ran over to strain the liquid. Ray rubbed at his eyes after setting down the crock pot, laughing a tad bit dizzily. His grandmother put the juice on the counter and smiled at them both.

“Joel, honey,” she said, “can you please get the milk?”

And Ray reached under Joel, getting out the metal milk glasses from the freezer that he always used. He may have heard Joel mutter something about “I told you so” but he definitely did not elbow him in the knee as a response.

They all three sat at her small kitchen table and it was easy to simply drink their milk and be happy. Nana asked questions about Joel (she rarely stopped) but didn’t blink twice when Joel told her his age (he said 35 which was a total lie that he’d be yelled at for later).

And Ray realized, one hand on the table by his milk and the other twining fingers with Joel’s, that there really could’ve been no other way for this night to go.


End file.
